1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a laundry treating machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a laundry treating machine capable of supplying moisture to laundry and supplying hot air to the laundry having received the moisture in order to dry the laundry, such that unpleasant odor, wrinkles, or humidity remaining on the laundry may be removed.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Laundry treating machines are electric appliances that treat clothes, cloth items and the like (hereinafter laundry) received in an accomodating space provided in a cabinet. Here, the term ‘laundry received in the accomodating space’ means a series of processes of supplying moisture and air or hot air to the laundry received in the accomodating space to remove unpleasant odor, wrinkles and humidity remaining on the laundry and to give satisfaction to a user who will wear the treated laundry.
For example, if the user puts on the same clothes more than once, unpleasant odors, wrinkles, or humidity may happen to remain on the clothes. The unpleasant odor of the clothes must give an unpleasant feeling to the user, who will put on the clothes again. To remove the unpleasant odors, wrinkles, or humidity, the clothes might be washed after every use. However, the repetitive washing of the clothes could shorten the wearable life of the clothes and could increase the maintenance cost.
There might be wrinkles even on the clothes, which have been dried after being washed. These wrinkled clothes cannot be worn immediately, and the user is inconvenienced by having to iron the clothes to remove the wrinkles.
To solve the above problems there is needed a laundry treating machine capable of removing the unpleasant odor, wrinkles, or humidity.
In such a laundry treating machine, moisture may be supplied and air, including hot air, may be circulated among the clothes to dry the moisturized laundry, and to remove the unpleasant odor, wrinkles, and humidity.
The unpleasant odor, wrinkles and humidity may be removed only by exposing the laundry to wind or hot air. At this time, the moisture may be supplied to the laundry to substantially maximize the removal effect.
If the moisture is supplied to the laundry received in the laundry treating machine, minute water elements are combined with odor elements remaining deep in fibrous tissues of the fabric and the water elements combined with the odor elements are separated and discharged from the laundry during the drying. By such a process, the unpleasant odor may be removed from the laundry.
Through the above processes, the unpleasant odor, the wrinkles, and humidity may be removed from the clothes and thus the user can put on the clothes, feeling pleasant and fresh.
Such a laundry treating machine, which is able to supply the moisture to laundry received in its accomodating space 12, should have a structure capable of receiving water. Also, the laundry treating machine must preferably drain condensed or contaminated water, which may be generated during the process of drying the laundry.
The amount of water supplied to the laundry, condensed from the supplied moisture, and contaminated during the treating period in the laundry treating machine may not be substantially much, compared with a washing machine.
The place where the supplied moisture condenses may be a place other than inside the accomodating space, where air is dehumidified. For example, in case that the supplied moisture is steam, the steam that is supposed to reach the received laundry might condense in various places on the steam supply path.
If condensed water remains in the accomodating space or if it otherwise collects in the cabinet, drying efficiency and user satisfaction may not be obtained.
Because of that, it is necessary to develop a method of efficiently supplying water required to generate the moisture and to discover a method of draining the water that condensed or remains in the cabinet during the moisture supply process and the drying process. Especially, it is required to provide a laundry treating machine capable of minimizing the number of parts required to discharge the generated condensate as possible and of simplifying the drainage path.